On January 12, 2012, Duane Brown was fatally shot by NYPD officers outside of his home in Brooklyn New York. According to gothamist.com, Brown was upstairs with his girlfriend, Renita Ferdinand, when they heard noises downstairs. Brown, who allegedly was carrying a gun, came downstairs to investigate a possible break in when he was confronted by the police. The police shot and killed Brown, after Brown did not comply with the instructions from the police. Brown’s girlfriends stated:

“He was fighting for his life…They wouldn’t help him…The officers told me they had to shoot him…They kept calling him the shooter. The officer said, ‘I’m sorry. It was one of us. But he wouldn’t put the gun down.’”